1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cleats on the bow or spring rails of boats, around which rope is wound when the rope is not in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous previous inventions of cleats on the bow rails of boats, but none that are equivalent to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 557,984, issued on Apr. 7, 1896, to Michael J. Foran, discloses a cleat with a removable middle portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,125,058, issued on Mar. 17, 1964, to Glenn G. Peterson, discloses a boat chock lock and fender and mooring cleat.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,352,273, issued on Nov. 14, 1967, to Alexander G. Herreshoff et al., discloses a cleat made from two separate flanges which are screwed together. U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,745, issued on Aug. 5, 1975, to Ralph Hutchings, discloses a fender cleat having xe2x80x9carmsxe2x80x9d (i.e., horns) that point inward at the ends. The instant invention is distinguishable, in that in it the cleat has a clamp by which it can be attached to a rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,203, issued on Apr. 6, 1976, to Joseph E. Matthews, discloses a multiple point securing cleat, with xe2x80x9cwing sectionsxe2x80x9d (i.e., horns) that point inward at their ends, but unlike the instant invention, it does not have a clamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,336, issued on Oct. 5, 1982, to Ramon Tostado, discloses an adjustable cleat, with horns that pivot on a base.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,495, issued on Mar. 12, 1991, to William J. Bos and John H. Bos, discloses a fender hanger, for securing fenders and other objects to the safety rail of a boat. It has a hook-shaped curved portion that can be used to attach it to the railing of a boat. It does not have a cylindrical C-clamp nor horns pointing in opposite directions, as does the instant invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,676,508, issued on Oct. 14, 1997, to Gary Lee Weicht, discloses a multi-function tie-down device for use with boats, trucks or other vehicles It has downward pointing legs, but does not have a clamp, as does the instant invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,377, issued on Nov. 3, 1998, to Axel Hoppenhaus, discloses a cleat having a base plate to which two arms are pivotally mounted.
International Patent Application No. WO 87/03854, inventor Hannes Marker, published on Jul. 2, 1987, discloses a belaying cleat designed to removably secure a tensioning cable.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or:in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is a cleat that can be clamped onto a bow rail or spring rail of a boat, using a cylindrical C-clamp. The cleat has two horns that bend inward toward the bow rail at their ends. A middle section joins the clamp and the horns. Rope can be wound around the cleat to keep the rope clean and out of the way when the rope is not being used. Because the horns are bent inward at the ends, the invention may be called a xe2x80x9cBull Horn Cleatxe2x80x9d.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a means for keeping rope clean when it is not being used on a boat.
It is another object of the invention to provide a means for keeping rope out of the way when it is not being used on a boat.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cleat that can be removably attached to the rail of a boat.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a cleat that can be removably attached to any cylindrical rail.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.